Livni: Iran dialogue ‘can’t go on forever’

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Tzipi Livni on a visit to Russia said dialogue with Iran "cannot go on forever."

Livni, Israel’s opposition leader and head of the Kadima party, in a meeting Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western countries should learn from Iran’s behavior in the past and "understand that it doesn’t act with transparency, honesty or openness toward the international community," according to reports.

Livni criticized a draft agreement being considered by Iran under which most of its enriched uranium would be sent abroad for processing into fuel rods for use in a medical research facility. Iran has said it will respond to the plan Thursday, but with "important changes."

The plan, she said, does not solve the problem but "only delays it."

"Dialogue with Iran cannot go on forever, and today, more than ever, it’s clear that Iran’s aim is to attain nuclear weapons, and that to accomplish this goal it will use various ways of trying to avoid arrangements that don’t enable it to continue its nuclear program," Livni said.

The former foreign minister encouraged the Western powers to "leave all options on the table," likely referring to the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.

Livni met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the day before she left for Russia, in part to coordinate positions on Iran before the visit.